A Loner Meets His Match
by The Pezman
Summary: This is my first FF9 POV FIC (I did a poem already). If people like this I'll continue, if not, I won't waste my time. SPOILERS!!!!!!
1. I have won!

A LONER MEETS HIS MATCH  
By The Pezman  
  
Note: I speculated lot on what the game didn't say (such as Amarant's attitude during his trek  
through the castle, also what the fire shrine was like). I had a party of Eiko, Vivi, and Dagger  
during the castle. I also don't remember all of the dialogue and how Amarant was when Zidane  
entered, so I speculated here also.  
  
"Zidane," I said simply.  
"Amarant?"  
"I'm going alone."  
"What?"  
"The key to Terra is supposed to be in here somewhere, right?"  
"Yeah..." The fool still hadn't realized what I was proposing.  
"Let's see who finds it first. Take your team. I'll get there before you do."  
That annoying knight-what was his name? Stinner? Steiner-piped up for the first time.   
"Amarant, you selfish, ignorant fool!"  
"Calm down, rusty," Zidane cut in.   
"But-but-but..." the knight trailed off. I mentally acknowledged him for shutting that guy up.   
When you're alone, you don't have to listen to idiots who couldn't hold themselves alone in a  
fight against a bandersnatch. It only made me want to do this further. As I was thinking about  
how great it would be to finally be rid of the first person to beat me (not once, either, but twice),  
that same person was contemplating the situation.   
"Sorry Amarant. Can't let you do that."  
Oh no. He wasn't going to beat me again. Not a third time. "That's too bad. I'm going  
anyway." And, disgusted with Zidane and all the rest, I walked up towards Ipsen's castle.   
  
As I ascended the exceedingly long stairwell, I perceived what I could about the grounds for  
our running race. Two castles smashed together. As if there was anything special about that.  
When I teamed up with Lani, the two of us had trekked through Fossil Roo and even went  
through the disgusting Conde Petie marriage ritual. If two castles smashed together was going to  
stop me, I'd sooner bow down to Zidane and hail him as a king. No, I'd beat him all right, and  
then I could walk away from him and his pathetic band of nothings for good.   
  
I entered the doorway, not bothering to open any chests. I needed nothing. Let Zidane waste  
his time getting items, probably ones that won't benefit him anyway. More time for me. Now that  
I didn't have just a long stairway to ascend, I didn't bother to look for any details as I walked  
through the first door I saw. The room I walked into was big, no doubt. But again, I wasted no  
time looking around the room and went straight toward the first mode of transportation I saw: a  
pole. I slid down it and continued. And that's the way it went, my eyes only intent on the  
doorway or stairwell that I hadn't reached. The monsters I met along the way were no cakewalk,  
to be fair, but I was able to subdue them easily enough. And then, I finally reached a room that  
had a doorway and a small inlet which held a stone statue. Ignoring the statue, I walked straight  
into the room. Aha, what had we here? For the first time since outside, I closely examined the  
room I was in. Pulsating green material covered the floor, and I spied something light reflective  
on the far end of the room. Reaching it, I examined what was actually four mirrors. Wait, there  
was writing on the back... My power is protected by... I didn't even read any farther. It was  
obvious I had found Terra's key. And no sign of Zidane anywhere. Well, that would show him.   
Cold hard fact that I, by myself, had beaten him and his teammates to the goal. I had beaten him.   
For those two times where he had shown who was supposedly the better man, well, I'd just  
nullified them. Now I leaned against the wall and waited.  
  



	2. And then it happened

A LONER MEETS HIS MATCH  
By The Pezman  
  
Never expected to see this continued, did you? Well, neither did I, because as soon as I beat FF9  
I lent it, and it's still being lent. Well, I was really bored, so I worked on this. Maybe I'll have  
more motive to finish it.  
  
Of course, I didn't have to wait too long before he showed up. Now to prove him wrong and get  
him the hell outta my life.  
"I was wondering when and if you'd show up."  
"Amarant?" his familiar yet hatred-connoting voice reached my ears.  
"One and the same."  
"Are those the keys to Terra?" There he went again, trying to change the subject. Now that I  
thought about it, I realized that he had probably cheated in our last match as well. I highly  
suspected that the only reason he had won was because about three-fourths through the fight, he  
shined and turned some strange colors, which seemed to boost his strength exponentially. But I  
put those thoughts aside and concentrated on the here and now.  
"Go see for yourself," I retorted, and I promptly started to leave.  
"Hey, where're you going?" Just like him.  
"I've proved myself right. I don't need any of you. I can accomplish my objectives alone."   
And without even giving him time to respond, I walked out of the room.  
  
"What a jerk!" I heard the six-year-old brat shout. I really didn't care about her, but even  
as walked back the way I came, I still felt that I lost, even though it was clear I had won. I  
couldn't define what it was, but I shook my head and flung it from there, then continued onward.   
I heard a foreign roar and shouts from Zidane and the others, and by reflex I turned around and  
started to run back. But I caught myself, thank goodness. What the HELL was I thinking? Here  
I was, just winning my freedom from Zidane, and the first thing I think of is running back to him?!   
Being with him must have changed me for the worst much more so than I had originally thought.   
I was confident, however, that once I was completely on my own again, the time spent with Lani  
and Zidane would be distant memories left in the dust of my shoes....  
  
And that's the point where the event that probably changed my life occurred. I fell. I fell  
about thirty feet to the bottom of that crazy room. I landed on my leg. It probably wasn't  
broken, but I sure didn't feel like I could get up. And to make matters worse, I had no recovery  
medicine with me. I felt like an ass. It was like the heavens were determined to make me stay  
with Zidane. The minute I win my freedom from him, I think of running back. Then, when that  
doesn't work, I have to be rendered helpless in the middle of nowhere. The only way I would get  
out of this one alive is if HE showed up and offered to take me back. I doubted he would do that  
after the way I blew him off, but the more important question was: Did I have enough humility to  
accept help from the very man whom I most despised?  
  



End file.
